Former NBA player Larry Hughes has joined a partnership to open two medical cannabis dispensaries in St. Louis, Missouri, as well as a cultivation and processing center.
Hughes joined as a partner with Viola Missouri, or VMO, which is part of former NBA player Al Harrington’s cannabis company, Village Brands. Harrington launched Viola in Colorado in 2011 and has expanded into California, Oregon and Michigan. Hughes and Harrington were teammates on the New York Knicks from 2008 to 2010.
“I am honored to bring VMO to life in St. Louis. Over the course of my career in the NBA, and since my retirement, I have focused my energy and resources on being a positive influence in this community. I have championed efforts to break the stigma around mental health and spent a great deal of time helping to develop this city’s young leaders. VMO will serve the medical needs of our community, particularly those suffering with physically and mentally debilitating conditions, including PTSD,” Hughes said.
VMO holds four licenses and is the only Black-owned and operated cannabis business in the state of Missouri. One of the dispensaries will also be the nation’s first COVID-friendly drive-thru
“Right now within the industry, there are really no resources for us to participate,” Harrington said. “One of the main reasons is because it is very expensive to get into the cannabis space and if I wasn’t a former NBA player I don’t know where I would have got $2 million to start my operations.”
Hughes and Harrington join another former NBA player in opening up cannabis dispensaries. Shawn Kemp, who built his career as the “Reign Man” in Seattle, opened his own dispensary in the city he began his career in. Hughes and Harrington’s dispensaries are expected to open in April 2021.
